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High school infringes upon civil liberties
linky linky
Quote:
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Judge: 'Gay'-diversity week violated rights of Christian
Rules in favor of student whose religious views against homosexuality
excluded from program
Posted: December 7, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
A federal judge in Detroit has upheld the constitutional right of a
Christian student to express her religious beliefs in opposition to
homosexuality during her high school's 2002 "Diversity Week" program.
The case involved a federal lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Law
Center, a national public interest law firm, on behalf of student
Betsy Hansen, whose religious views against homosexuality were
censored and excluded from the program held at Ann Arbor's Pioneer
High School.
During the program, Pioneer High School officials prevented Hansen
from expressing her Roman Catholic view on homosexuality at
the "Homosexuality and Religion" panel, and they censored a speech
she was asked to give on the topic, ''What Diversity Means to Me.''
School officials claimed Betsy's religious view toward homosexuality
was a ''negative'' message and would ''water-down'' the ''positive''
religious message that they wanted to convey – that homosexual
behavior is not immoral or sinful.
The federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the Thomas More Law Center
alleged that school officials violated Hansen's constitutional rights
to freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and the equal
protection of the law. Moreover, the lawsuit alleged that school
officials coerced students to accept the religious belief that
homosexual activity is not immoral or sinful in violation of the
Constitution.
School officials handpicked religious leaders who endorsed the
school's pro-homosexual "religious" belief to sit on the panel, and
they denied Hansen's request to have a panel member who would express
the Roman Catholic belief on homosexuality.
Judge Gerald Rosen's 70-page opinion began with blistering criticism
of the school:
"This case presents the ironic, and unfortunate, paradox of a public
high school celebrating 'diversity' by refusing to permit the
presentation to students of an 'unwelcomed' viewpoint on the topic of
homosexuality and religion, while actively promoting the competing
view. This practice of 'one-way diversity,' unsettling in itself, was
rendered still more troubling-both constitutionally and ethically-by
the fact that the approved viewpoint was, in one manifestation,
presented to students as religious doctrine by six clerics (some in
full garb) quoting from religious scripture. In its other
manifestation, it resulted in the censorship by school administrators
of a student's speech about "what diversity means to me," removing
that portion of the speech in which the student described the
unapproved viewpoint.''
Judge Rosen held that the Ann Arbor Public Schools and several of its
employees violated Hansen's constitutional rights to freedom of
speech and the equal protection of the law. He also concluded that
the school officials violated the Establishment Clause by inviting
the pro-gay clergy to hold a panel on "Homosexuality and Religion."
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Law Center,
applauded Judge Rosen for his strongly worded opinion, ''Judge Rosen
displayed judicial courage by refusing to bend to the winds of
political correctness, and he decided the case according to the well
established law. This is a tremendous victory for the First Amendment
rights of Christian students and a tremendous defeat for those who
consider public schools as their private platform to advance the
homosexual agenda.''
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This seems amazing to me. What the hell reason does a public high shcool have to try to project a positive image of homosexuality? Why are our schools attempting to parent our children, and, more importantly, why are parents letting them do so?
edit: Subject changed, we already know the interests and views of the ACLU when it comes to civil liberties.
edit2: Nevermind, looks like I can't change the thread subject. Mod? 
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seretogis - sieg heil
perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost
no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames
Last edited by seretogis; 12-12-2003 at 04:11 AM..
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